You can get to the water from several spots along both the north and south forks of the Shenandoah River, and commercial services offer canoe, kayak, and tubing equipment if you don’t have your own. The two forks of the Shenandoah River come together at Front Royal.

If fly-fishing is your thing, don’t miss Murray’s Fly Shop (http://www.murraysflyshop.com/) in Edinburg. Harry Murray and his son Jeff can get you equipped, and they offer guided trips and fly-fishing or fly-tying lessons. 540-984-4212.

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Hundreds of miles of hiking trails

The Appalachian Trail threads its way through the Shenandoah Valley and the George Washington National Forest. Hiking and backpacking options include:

From further south in Shenandoah County, the George Washington National Forest trails include spectacular views of the valley, forests, and river. Click Here (http://shenandoahcountyva.us/tourism/hiking/) for a list of trails grouped by difficulty. An easy and rewarding hike is the one to the Woodstock Tower, built by the Civil Conservation Corps in 1935. From the top, you can see a much-photographed view of the famous seven bends of the Shenandoah River, and if you’re lucky, you might see one of the hang gliders taking off from a ledge just below the tower.